Set in the 18th century in America, The Sign of the Beaver is the story of the young boy Matt Hallowell and his summer spent alone in a woodland cabin. Left by his father to take care of the homestead, Matt meets and cautiously befriends members of a local Indian tribe. The white boy clashes sometimes with their differing ideals, but in the end he bonds with an older member of the tribe and with his grandson, becoming fast friends.